Binary Oscillating Thermoelectric Chiller

Thermoelectric (TE) Peltier/Seebeck coolers appear to be very attractive for use on unmanned underwater vehicles because of their absence of moving parts. The major problem with the approach is the limited coefficient of performance (COP). As a result,the maximum density of removed heat is less than 100 W/cm2. To address this problem, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new structure of cooling system, a novel Binary Oscillating Thermoelectric Chiller (BOTEC) for heat poweracquisition and transport. The BOTEC is based on two major innovations: one in the heat-pipe area and the second in the narrow TE area. POC's thermoelectric device will significantly reduce the parasitic energy losses in a semiconductor structure, thusincreasing by at least 3.5 times the COP from 0.6 to 2.1 which in turn, makes possible accepting even 1000 W/cm2-power densities. POC's innovative module is based on a combination of a pulsing thermoelectric pump with an array of miniature heat pipes. InPhase I, POC will demonstrate an electrically enforced thermal superconductor for power dissipating devices. In Phase II, an engineering prototype BOTEC will be developed. The proposed Binary Oscillating Thermoelectric Chillers, both thermoelectric anddouble-phase based, will extend the current field of thermal management and cooling technologies for unmanned underwater vehicles and other compact platforms (missile, UAVs, state wide). They will improve integrated heat transport systems, which areessential for numerous Navy platforms and civilian vehicle applications. BOTEC-based cooling systems also will have numerous applications in computers as well as in control, communication, and measurement devices. They can replace the conventional vaporbased heat pumps, and they can be implemented directly on microchips. These thermoelectric coolers will find many applications in the market of commercial refrigerators.